BATON ROUGE - Opponents of the Common Core education standards have delayed a hearing on a bill that would place new ethics restrictions on state education leaders. The proposal by Rep. Bob Hensgens, an Abbeville Republican, was scheduled for debate Tuesday in the House and Governmental Affairs Committee. But the... more »

BATON ROUGE - Ethics considerations are preventing a promotion for the husband of a member of Gov. Bobby Jindal's cabinet. Louisiana's Ethics Board says Kathy Kliebert's position as chief of the state health department will prevent a job promotion for her husband, Lynn Kliebert. Lynn Kliebert is assistant chief financial... more »

BATON ROUGE- The Mayor-President of Baton Rouge claimed victory today against the Ethics Commission after he opened up a check from the IRS.
The Ethics Commission claims Mayor Kip Holden owes the state $2,500 in fines for a problem with a financial disclosure report back in 2008. Holden believes... more »

ST. GABRIEL - The First Circuit Court of Appeals denied an appeal from St. Gabriel Police Chief Kevin Ambeau recently, ordering he pay a $2,500 ethics fine to the state.
The board ruled Ambeau failed to appeal the 2011 fine for filing his required candidate financial statement late, and... more »

BATON ROUGE - Democrats have filed ethics complaints against Republican Senate candidate Bill Cassidy, alleging he misrepresented his medical work for the LSU hospital system. Complaints were filed Wednesday by the Louisiana Democratic Party, through a University of New Orleans faculty member, and by the American Democracy Legal Fund. Cassidy... more »

BATON ROUGE - A Democratic group has filed charges that Republican U.S. Rep. Bill Cassidy has violated state and federal laws by filing conflicting personal income statements in 2008. The Advertiser reports The American Democracy Legal Fund filed the charges with the House Office of Congressional Ethics and the Louisiana... more »

SORRENTO- The Louisiana Board of Ethics spent the morning at the town hall Monday, but details about why political inspectors were in Ascension Parish were not revealed.
The board typically does not confirm or deny an investigation, which is usually prompted by a complaint. Details of complaints are also... more »

BATON ROUGE - The State Ethics Board says former Kenner Mayor Phil Capitano must pay for the late filing of a campaign finance report. The board, according to The Times-Picayune, declined Friday to waive the fee and Capitano owes $600. Capitano, who lost a race to Mike Yenni in 2010,... more »

BATON ROUGE - There's a vacancy on the Louisiana Board of Ethics. Vice Chairman Scott Schneider has resigned from the 11-member board, without providing a reason for stepping down. In his July 3 letter to Gov. Bobby Jindal, Schneider called his time on the board "a wonderful experience." The Times-Picayune... more »

BATON ROUGE - Louisiana's ethics board says an LSU Board of Supervisors member can serve on the governing board and also lead a private group that wants to take over operation of LSU's Shreveport hospital. The Board of Ethics signed off an advisory opinion clearing the way for Dr. John... more »

THIBODAUX - A Lafourche Parish councilman says he will not pull a resolution seeking Parish President Charlotte Randolph's resignation over ethics violations. The Courier reports the parish council will debate the resolution Tuesday. Randolph has asked state ethics authorities to reconsider the $60,000 she's been ordered to pay because she... more »

BATON ROUG - Lafourche Parish President Charlotte Randolph is awaiting a state ethics panel's decision regarding the renting of her Grand Isle camp to BP after the 2010 oil spill. The Daily Comet reports (http://bit.ly/YHJzHh ) that Randolph and her husband, George, defended their motives Thursday at an ethics hearing.... more »

BATON ROUGE- A state Senate committee is recommending a former New Orleans lawmaker who spent more than three decades in the Legislature to fill an open seat on the Louisiana Board of Ethics. The Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee on Thursday backed former state Rep. Emile "Peppi" Bruneau for the... more »

BATON ROUGE - Former Slaughter Alderman Thomas Boothe faces state ethics charges related to his alleged misuse of public office.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics posted the charges on its website Wednesday and asked the Ethics Adjudicatory Board to conduct a hearing on the allegations.
The counts stem... more »

BATON ROUGE - Two Calcasieu Parish teachers who led failed recall efforts against Gov. Bobby Jindal and House Speaker Chuck Kleckley have been fined $500 each for failing to file campaign finance reports on time. Angie Bonvillian and Brenda Romero missed a deadline to file a report 45 days after... more »

BETHESDA, Md. - Lockheed Martin has ousted its president and anticipated CEO over a relationship with a subordinate. The company said Friday that its board of directors asked for and received the resignation of Christopher Kubasik from his role as vice chairman, president and chief operating officer. The 51-year old... more »

BATON ROUGE - A state ethics board denied several lawmakers' appeals to have ethics fines against them waived today.
The fines in dispute ranged from a few hundred dollars to $8,000, and mostly dealt with campaign finance reports which were filed late or improperly.
State Senator Elbert Guillory,... more »

BATON ROUGE- The state ethics board has deferred a decision on whether state Board Elementary and Secondary Education member Kira Orange-Jones can keep her elected seat and her job as executive director of the New Orleans branch of Teach for America. Alainna Giacone, spokeswoman for the ethics board, said Friday... more »

BATON ROUGE - A handful of proposals that chip away at provisions of the state's ethics code have received approval from Gov. Bobby Jindal, after lawmakers supported new exceptions to nepotism bans and contracting prohibitions. Critics of some of the provisions say the changes could undermine ethics laws and lead... more »

BATON ROUGE - Baton Rouge attorney Frank Simoneaux, chairman of the Louisiana Board of Ethics over a tumultuous four-year transition, will not be returning to the board. A House committee declined to approve his re-nomination Thursday. Simoneaux joined after 10 of the board's 11-members resigned in 2008.
Gov. Bobby... more »

BATON ROUGE- Louisiana's Board of Ethics plans to develop guidelines for determining what constitutes banned personal use of campaign funds by political candidates. Board members Friday also suggested that the 2012 Legislature change state law to be more specific about how contributions can be used. The Ethics Board recommendations include... more »

An associate professor at Michigan State University has some explaining to do about him posing nude with his students and calling it art. Danny Guthrie's work is well-known by campus leaders, who say they've investigated the issue. The school has determined there's a protocol in place so students do not... more »

MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama's newly toughened ethics law prohibits legislators and other state officials from receiving most free gifts, including football tickets.
But in some cases they can still buy tickets to big games, like this weekend's Alabama-LSU game, at face value. That's an advantage over most state residents... more »

BATON ROUGE- The state ethics board fined Lt. Gov. Jay Dardenne's campaign $2,500 for collecting money over the legal contribution limit. The Advocate reports the board announced the decision at its meeting last week. It involved donations in a special election for lieutenant governor last year. Candidates for a major... more »

BATON ROUGE - The Jindal administration's former chief lawyer, Jimmy Faircloth, has been fined by the Louisiana Board of Ethics for violating state ethics law.
The board decided Friday that Faircloth shouldn't have entered into a contract to represent the Louisiana Tax Commission six months after he resigned as... more »

BATON ROUGE- State Sen. Rob Marionneaux is facing ethics charges related to his law firm's involvement in litigation against the state Department of Transportation and Development.
It is the second charge filed against Marionneaux by the Louisiana Board of Ethics, on the same issue of failure to timely disclose... more »

BATON ROUGE, La.- The state Board of Ethics has dismissed charges that former Grambling Mayor Martha Andrus retaliated against three employees because they were "whistleblowers."
According to Saturday's Times, Mike Dupree, deputy general counsel for the board, said a higher standard of proof required for convicting public officials of... more »

BATON ROUGE - State ethics charges have been filed against former Jefferson Parish President Aaron Broussard and his former top administrator. The Times-Picayune reported that most of charges filed by the state ethics board are tied to an agreement between a private insurance agency owned by former administrator Tim Whitmer... more »

BATON ROUGE- A political consultant is clear of accusations he paid for a slur-campaign against the mayor of Baton Rouge.
The State Board of Ethics dismissed campaign-finance violations against Scott Wilfong. But former City Councilman Darrell Glasper could face criminal charges because of fliers in the 2008 mayoral campaign... more »

WASHINGTON - Rep. Charles Rangel, once one of the most influential House members, was convicted Tuesday on 11 counts of breaking ethics rules and now faces punishment. An ethics panel of eight House peers deliberated over two days before delivering a jarring blow to the 20-term New York Democrat's career.... more »

BATON ROUGE - A judge ruled today the Louisiana Board of Ethics doesn’t have the final say in ethics violations concerning political candidates. Governor Bobby Jindal carried the mantle of ethics reform into office and onto the legislative agenda when he first took office in 2008. Two years later, the... more »

An ethics complaint against a Baton Rouge council member has been dismissed, according to the state ethics board.
A secretary for the board said the complaint against Ulysses "Bones" Addison had been dismissed last month.
The board had claimed Addison hadn't filed a required campaign finance disclosure report... more »

The state's ethics administration office is offering online ethics training for Louisiana elected officials. The Legislature has mandated ethics training for all elected officials to complete each year, to describe the restrictions with which they must comply while in office. The new online site will let them get that training... more »

State ethics officials have dropped charges against a state utility regulator who didn't file his required personal financial disclosure report on time. Public Service Commissioner Lambert Boissiere III has since filed the document, so the Louisiana Board of Ethics agreed not to pursue the charges. Boissiere still must pay late... more »

Repeated appeals from ethics board members to rewrite the state's ethics enforcement laws did little to persuade lawmakers, who instead made marginal adjustments during the recent legislative session.
Leaders of the House and Senate committees that oversee laws governing the conduct of public officials say the enforcement system doesn't... more »

If Governor Bobby Jindal signs the bill, people who file ethics complaints against public officials could lose their confidentiality. The bill by Rep. Nita Hutter would entitle the accused person to know who filed the complaint with the Louisiana Board of Ethics, once the investigation is done and the accused... more »

An ethics panel in Baton Rouge has imposed a $2,500 fine for a man who accepted an appointment to the Tangipahoa Parish School Board just days after he stepped down from an elected position on that same board. According to the ruling released Wednesday, Danny Ridgel resigned as an elected... more »

Renewed debates over issues of ethics and open government face the Legislature when it convenes next week. North Louisiana lawmakers Robert Adley in the Senate and Wayne Waddell in the House each have filed bills that would provide more public access to records of the governor's office - an effort... more »

An ethics panel has refused to throw out charges against Baton Rouge Republican activist Scott Wilfong, who is accused of violating campaign finance disclosure laws. The charges in the case stem from Wilfong's role in the circulation of an anti-Kip Holden flier in the 2008 mayor's race. Wilfong's attorney Crosby... more »

The Louisiana Board of Ethics is looking for a little guidance from the Legislature on the appropriate use of campaign dollars. But a chief ethics lawmaker wants the panel to wrestle with the thorny subject first. State law bans "personal use" of campaign funds by candidates. Meanwhile, the law allows... more »

The Police Chief of St. Gabriel is facing conflict on interest charges filed by the Louisiana Board of Ethics. The board says Police Chief Kevin Ambeau may have violated the state ethics laws by operating a private security business in St. Gabriel while serving as chief of police. The Ethics... more »

Gov. Bobby Jindal and a host of other elected officials and candidates in Louisiana will get two extra days to file their campaign finance reports for 2009. The annual reports - which include campaign contributors and expenses - are usually due by Feb. 15 to the state Ethics Administration office.... more »

A report from the Public Affairs Research Council concludes that Gov. Bobby Jindal's 2008 ethics law overhaul contains flaws and has not yet attained "the gold standard" the governor claimed.
The report said some changes weakened the state's ability to monitor and enforce compliance with the law.
The... more »

Livingston Parish Council member Thomas Watson is facing state conflict-of-interest charges related to his involvement in a multifamily housing development in the parish. The Louisiana Board of Ethics issued two charges against Watson alleging he violated state law by participating in transactions with the Livingston Parish Planning Commission on use... more »

Longtime Louisiana political analyst Elliott Stonecipher attacked state government, including Governor Bobby Jindal, for creating what he calls a system of government that "can't be trusted."
During his almost hour long speech at the Baton Rouge Press Club's meeting this afternoon, Stonecipher accused the governor's office of having a... more »

The Louisiana Democratic Party has filed an ethics complaint against Senator David Vitter.
The party claims Vitter is using taxpayer funded, town hall meetings to lash out against Congressman Charlie Melancon. Melancon is often mentioned as a possible opponent for Vitter's senate seat.
Republicans say Vitter did not... more »